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Archives for October 2020

West Notes: Niku, Podkolzin, Coyotes

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While Sami Niku’s name has come up in recent trade speculation, his agent Mike Curran clarified to Jason Bell of the Winnipeg Free Press that the defenseman has not requested a move.  The 24-year-old split the season between Winnipeg and AHL Manitoba and while he was quite productive with the Moose with three goals and 11 assists in 18 games, it didn’t materialize into much NHL production as Niku had just five helpers in 17 games with the Jets.  Given his offensive prowess with Manitoba over the past three seasons, he has progressed about as far as he can in the minors but a full-time NHL spot hasn’t been something that he has been able to lock down.  Accordingly, the restricted free agent could probably benefit from a change of scenery but he’s not the one that’s looking for it.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Canucks prospect Vasili Podkolzin’s sophomore KHL season hasn’t gone particularly well. He has just a goal and three assists in 18 games and had been a healthy scratch in the past two games which led to a demotion to the VHL today.  The GM of SKA St. Petersburg, Roman Rotenberg, told Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 and The Athletic (Twitter link) that the move is to try to get him ready for the World Juniors and have him have some success against players in his age group.
  • The Coyotes are looking to bring back a familiar face as they are in talks with Shane Doan about a position in their organization, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Doan spent his entire 21-year career with that franchise dating back to their original days in Winnipeg before retiring in 2017.  He currently is working in the hockey operations department for the league.

Minor Transactions: 10/26/20

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While NHL teams continue to fill out their rosters and prepare for the 2020-21 season, minor and European leagues also are working on new contracts. We’ll keep track of some of the newsworthy minor transactions right here:

  • San Jose Sharks prospect Artemi Kniazev has signed a deal with Ak Bars in the KHL for the upcoming season, giving him a place to play as he continues his development. The 19-year-old defenseman was selected 48th overall in 2019 and has spent the last two seasons in the QMJHL. Kniazev signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks just a few weeks after he was drafted but it won’t kick in until next season given his age.
  • Former NHL forward Jack Skille has found a new home, signing with EC Salzburg in the Austrian ICEHL. Skille played 55 games for the Vancouver Canucks in 2016-17 but has bounced around the globe the last several seasons, suiting up in the KHL, NLA and DEL.
  • Phil Varone has officially signed his KHL contract, a one-year deal with Barys Nur-Sultan that was reported by his agent a few days ago. Varone has 97 games of NHL experience, most recently playing in 2018-19 with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Avalanche Loan Martin Kaut To HC Dynamo

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Oct 26: After playing in just four games with HC Dynamo, Kaut is on his way to Sweden where the Avalanche have reassigned him to MODO. The Czech Extraliga has been at a standstill for weeks due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, meaning Kaut wasn’t getting in any game action. With his sights still set on the NHL, he’ll try his hand in another professional league, though MODO is in the second-tier of Swedish hockey. Kaut is still expected to return to North America when NHL training camps begin.

Sep 12: One of Colorado’s top prospects will be suiting up in the near future.  HC Dynamo of the Czech Extraliga announced that they’ve picked up winger Martin Kaut on loan from the Avalanche.  He had been training with them over the summer so it shouldn’t be long before he sees game action.

The 20-year-old spent this past season in North America with the majority of it coming with their AHL affiliate.  With the Eagles, he had five goals and 13 assists in 34 games, numbers that don’t stand out but are still decent for someone that was eligible to still play junior hockey even though his minor league numbers in his rookie year were a bit better (12-14-26 in 63 games).  The Avs also gave him his first nine NHL contests where he acquitted himself well, collecting two goals and a helper while averaging just over 10 minutes a night of playing time.

Those nine regular season games ultimately kept him off of Colorado’s postseason roster which is how he was able to train with Dynamo in recent months.  One more game with the Avalanche would have officially started his entry-level contract and they weren’t willing to do that.  Instead, his deal slid and will now run through the 2022-23 campaign.

Depending on what Colorado does this offseason, there could be some roster spots up for grabs up front in training camp.  Playing with Dynamo, a team that Kaut has familiarity with having played there for several years including his draft season, could give him a leg up on securing a bigger role when camps get underway.

Trevor Daley Retires, Joins Pittsburgh Penguins Front Office

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After the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they had relieved AGM Jason Karmanos earlier today, they now have brought in a new (though familiar) face to the front office. Trevor Daley, who won the Stanley Cup with the team in both 2016 and 2017, has decided to retire and join the organization as a hockey operations advisor. Daley had played the last three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, but will now hang up his skates and put on a suit. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford released a statement on the hire:

First, I would like to congratulate Trevor on an incredibly successful 16-year career. In addition to being a Stanley Cup Champion with us, he left us with a great impression due to his professional demeanor and quiet leadership qualities. Those traits, along with his desire to want to learn about the business side of the NHL, made him a great candidate to join our staff.

Daley, 37, played more than 1,100 games in the NHL, suiting up for the Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, Penguins, and Red Wings. A smooth-skating defenseman that could contribute at both ends of the rink, he racked up 309 points in 1,058 regular season contests including a career-high 38 in the 2014-15 season. After winning his second title with Pittsburgh in 2017 he signed a three-year, $9.5MM contract with the Red Wings, but dealt with several injuries and ended up playing in just 164 games with the team.

With the Penguins, Daley will assist with player evaluations and serve as an “eye in the sky” for the coaching staff during games. While this is just the beginning of his post-playing career, it does provide the Penguins with another set of hands in what had recently become quite a thin front office.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev Loaned To KHL

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have loaned another one of their prospects overseas, this time sending Semyon Der-Arguchintsev to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL. Der-Arguchintsev signed his entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs back in 2018 but has been playing in the CHL, meaning it still has three years remaining on it.

Now 20, Der-Arguchintsev’s professional career is about to start. The undersized forward was drafted 76th overall by the Maple Leafs in 2018 and recorded 75 points in 55 games this season for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. Notably, he has routinely been a linemate of Toronto’s top forward prospect, Nick Robertson, who led the league with 55 goals this season. A pure playmaker, Der-Arguchintsev racked up and 63 assists, good for third in the league behind only top draft picks Marco Rossi and Cole Perfetti.

Born in Russia, Der-Arguchintsev has been playing in Canada since he was 14 and has never been included in the Russian national junior teams. Now he’ll be heading back to his native country to take the next step in his professional career. The Maple Leafs did not specify whether the young forward will return for NHL training camp in the coming months, or spend the entire season in the KHL.

Pittsburgh Penguins Fire Jason Karmanos

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The Pittsburgh Penguins have fired assistant general manager Jason Karmanos, who had been with the team since 2014. While the team searches for a replacement, Sam Ventura, the team’s director of hockey research, will assume the AGM duties. Erik Heasley, manager of hockey operations, has been named interim GM of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, which Karmanos had also been in charge of.

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford released this statement:

We would like to thank Jason Karmanos for his contributions to the organization over the past six years. I have been evaluating our hockey operations department and this is the first part of the process to re-organize our group. 

While assistant general managers are let go all the time in the NHL, this move is especially surprising because of the long history between Rutherford and Karmanos. Not only did they come to the Penguins together in 2014, but they also were together for more than a decade in the Carolina Hurricanes front office. Karmanos’ father was the owner of the Hurricanes at the time and has worked closely with Rutherford since the 80’s in various organizations.

The relieving of Karmanos from this post should not be taken lightly in Pittsburgh, though it will immediately bring up additional speculation about former AGM Jason Botterill. The former Buffalo Sabres GM cut his teeth in Pittsburgh under Rutherford and has been rumored to be a candidate to return to the Penguins since the Sabres let him go earlier this year.

Rutherford has actually been open about his desire to add to the front office this offseason, but with Karmanos gone it leaves a very thin group in terms of managerial experience. The GM was clear he was extremely disappointed by the team’s postseason performance and has already made sweeping changes to the front office, coaching staff and roster.

Chris Tierney To Re-Sign With Ottawa Senators

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The Ottawa Senators have come to another relatively hefty extension for a veteran player, agreeing with Chris Tierney on a two-year contract according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia. The deal will carry an average annual value of $3.5MM, with Tierney earning $2.8MM in 2020-21 and $4.2MM in 2021-22. The 26-year-old forward was a restricted free agent with an arbitration hearing scheduled for November 8. That hearing will no longer be required.

While many players are able to post career-highs when they move from a good team to a bad one and are given more responsibility, since arriving in Ottawa, Tierney still hasn’t been able to match the 17 goals he recorded during his final season in San Jose. He did post a career-best 48 points in 2018-19, but it came with just nine goals. This season he increased that number to 11, but the points dropped down to 37 in the shortened season.

Averaging more than 17 minutes a game, Tierney has become a core piece of the Senators forward group that trailed only Connor Brown, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Brady Tkachuk in ice time. While he likely should settle into a lesser role when Ottawa wants to compete, for now, he can continue to help the youngsters find their game while providing solid middle-six production.

The question that comes with almost every Senators signing these days is whether or not Tierney will actually finish this two-year deal in Ottawa. The contract is heavily back-loaded, allowing the team to move a good chunk of the salary owed if they decide to flip him at some point. With several top prospects pushing up the lineup and even more on the way, Tierney’s spot won’t be there forever. With no trade protection, he will be a valuable asset at the deadline if the team decides to move on.

Zane McIntyre Signs In KHL

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A former NHL goaltender has decided to take his talents overseas, as Zane McIntyre signs with Dinamo Riga of the KHL. McIntyre played in eight games for the Boston Bruins in 2016-17 but has been logging starts in an AHL crease ever since. When his 2019-20 contract with the New Jersey Devils expired, he became an unrestricted free agent.

McIntyre, 28, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Bruins back in 2010 but didn’t make his professional debut until the 2015-16 season. After three outstanding seasons at the University of North Dakota, he joined the Providence Bruins where he quickly found success. In his sophomore year, McIntyre posted a .930 save percentage at the AHL level, leading the entire league and earning himself a spot at the minor league All-Star Game. It also landed him a chance with Boston, though those eight games may end up being his only stint in the NHL.

More recently, the Grand Forks native has struggled in the minor leagues, posting save percentages under .900 in each of the last two seasons. He’ll try to increase those numbers in the KHL, though of course, he’ll have to battle for playing time over there as well. Unless he experiences a huge step forward in play, it seems unlikely that we’ll ever see McIntyre at the NHL level again.

Five Key Stories: 10/19/20 – 10/25/20

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While the frequency of contracts has dropped as expected, there was still some notable news around the hockey world over the past seven days.  As usual, they’re recapped here in our key stories.

Scheduling Notes: In a move that didn’t come as much surprise, the NHL announced the postponement of the Winter Classic and the 2021 All-Star Game.  The Winter Classic is the most-attended game each season and with significant fan restrictions for the foreseeable future, holding it just wasn’t viable.  Meanwhile, the All-Star festivities are another heavily-attended event between fans and sponsors so not proceeding with that makes sense as well.  Officially, neither event is cancelled but it’s unlikely either will be held.  Meanwhile, one event that will be going ahead as scheduled despite no fans is the World Juniors as their schedule was released.  The event will get underway one day earlier than usual to allow for all of the games to be played at one venue so the tournament will now start December 25th.

Brown Gets Three Years: Senators winger Connor Brown had a career year in terms of points last season and was one off the team lead in scoring.  That certainly gave him a boost heading into his final year of arbitration eligibility.  The two sides were able to avoid a hearing, agreeing to a three-year deal that carries an AAV of $3.6MM.  While it’s likely that he won’t average more than 20 minutes per game again as he did in 2019-20, Brown should continue to be a bridge player to their up-and-coming young forward core and by the time the deal is up, he should be back to being in their middle six which is the optimal role for him in the first place.

Reinhart Avoids Arbitration: One of the more prominent players that filed for salary arbitration was Sabres forward Sam Reinhart.  While he wasn’t able to get back to the 65-point mark last season, he still managed to score more than 20 goals for the fourth time in five years while reaching 50 points for the third straight year.  Reinhart was also in the top ten league-wide in terms of ATOI at 20:38 per night.  That had him in line for a notable raise from the $3.65MM AAV he had on his bridge deal and he received just that, inking a one-year, $5.2MM deal to avoid an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday.  The 24-year-old will be arbitration-eligible for the final time next offseason and will require that $5.2MM as a qualifying offer.

Russell Extension: While Kris Russell hasn’t lived up to the surprising four-year, $16MM deal he signed back in 2017, he has still been a serviceable role player in Edmonton.  With the Oilers needing to have an eligible defenseman to leave unprotected in next year’s expansion draft, the team signed the veteran to a one-year, $1.25MM extension.  It wasn’t that long ago that Russell was among the league leaders in blocked shots and while he is used more in a depth role now, he should still be able to provide some value at that new price tag for 2021-22.

Winger Bridge Deals: The flattening of the salary cap has forced more teams to resort to short-term ‘bridge’ contracts to keep their team intact.  Accordingly, Toronto handed Ilya Mikheyev a two-year, $3.29MM deal, avoiding salary arbitration.  It’s a decent pay day for a player who did well with the Maple Leafs in limited action last year but he has less than 50 games of NHL experience under his belt while he also gets to hit unrestricted free agency after that.  Meanwhile, Jake Virtanen’s career year earned him a nice raise as he signed a two-year, $5.1MM pact that sets up a $3MM qualifying offer in 2022.  Stars winger Denis Gurianov was sent to the minors early last season but when he was recalled, he became one of their top scorers.  As a result, he was rewarded with a two-year, $5.1MM deal of his own which carries a $2.95MM qualifying offer at the end.  That’s a nice increase for a player who was on the fringes of the roster to start the season and didn’t have arbitration eligibility.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sabres Re-Sign Linus Ullmark To A One-Year Deal

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The Sabres have avoided salary arbitration for the second time today.  This time, it’s goaltender Linus Ullmark who has avoided a hearing as the team announced that they’ve signed him to a one-year, $2.6MM contract.  The deal comes in just above our $2.55MM projection.

The two sides exchanged figures on Saturday with Buffalo offering $1.8MM and Ullmark requesting $4.1MM.  As expected, the contract checks in a bit below the midpoint of $2.95MM.

Ullmark had a decent showing last season, putting up a 2.69 GAA with a .915 SV% in 34 starts, numbers that were a lot better than his showing in 2018-19 and his platoon mate in Carter Hutton.  Despite that, however, he was basically in a platoon situation all season long, a situation that could once again present itself in 2020-21.

Most notable about this contract is that it takes the 27-year-old right to unrestricted free agency next offseason.  While this has been a tough free agent market for quite a few players, that hasn’t been the case for goaltenders as they went off the board early and often with many of them earning raises.  Part of that is due to the expectation of a condensed schedule which necessitated the need for a better backup but as more teams shift towards tandems instead of a better starter with a weaker backup, Ullmark could be well-positioned to get a bigger deal next offseason.

It’s also worth noting that Hutton is an unrestricted free agent in 2021 as well.  All of a sudden, GM Kevyn Adams will have an opportunity to significantly change things up at that position a year from now and take a chance at shoring up a position that has been a weak spot for the past several years.

Buffalo’s work this offseason isn’t done just yet, however.  Even after getting a deal done with Ullmark and Sam Reinhart earlier today, the Sabres still have one more player eligible for salary arbitration in Victor Olofsson whose hearing is scheduled for November 4th.  They have roughly $6MM in space to work with so they’ll have no trouble staying under the salary cap when that deal gets done and there should be enough left to try to add another player on the open market if they so desire.  If not, they’ll enter 2020-21 with a fair bit of cap space to work with.

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